Body Illusions

People with eating disorders often misjudge their size—and that may not be the only problem with their body awareness. Alexander J. Mussap and Nancy Salton of Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, asked people to insert one arm into a box on a table next to a realistic-looking rubber hand. The researchers repeatedly brushed the real and fake hands simultaneously. The more women mistook the rubber hand for their own, the higher their scores on internalization of cultural beauty standards and vulnerability to bulimia. The researchers theorize that such uncertain body boundaries make women more susceptible to "images of idealized bodies," which put them at risk for bulimia. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help people achieve a more accurate body image, the study notes.